1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a battery terminal to be mounted on a battery post that is provided to stand on a battery installed in a vehicle and the like has been known. As a conventional battery terminal, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H09-245767 discloses the configuration of a battery terminal that can be mounted on a battery post by being fastened while the battery post is inserted to a through-hole thereof, for example. As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H09-245767, in general, the conventional battery terminal is mounted on the battery post by tightening a bolt and a nut that are arranged with the horizontal direction as an axis direction so as to reduce the diameter of the through-hole to which the battery post is inserted and ensure a fastening force to the battery post (hereinafter, this method is described as “lateral tightening method”).
In such a conventional battery terminal of the lateral tightening method, it is necessary to rotate the bolt and the nut around the axis line in the horizontal direction for fastening. Consequently, when mounting the terminal on the battery post, it has been necessary to set a tool for rotating the bolt and the nut from the lateral side of the battery post, that is, the lateral side of the battery, and perform rotating operation. Hence, it has been necessary to take up a large work space to insert and operate the tool on the lateral side of the battery.
Meanwhile, in recent years, the application of an EN battery, which is being the mainstream in Europe, to automobiles has begun to be examined. In the EN (European Norm, European Standards) battery, the battery post on which the battery terminal is mounted is positioned lower than the upper surface of the battery. Thus, conceivable is a situation in which, when the conventional battery terminal of the lateral tightening method is used, the work using a fitting tool is difficult.
In addition, the conventional battery terminal disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H09-245767 has room for further improving its fastening performance when fastened to the battery post.